Steve Webb  0:02  
It's day 23 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring White Christmas show hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me the OG Godcaster Steve Webb of Lifespringmedia.com. I've got over 3000 podcast episodes over there. Take a look. Christmas Eve is tomorrow already. You will need to get your entry in for the drawing to win the autographed copy of Bryan Duncan's A NehoSoul Christmas CD by tomorrow at 6pm pacific time when I'll be recording the Christmas Day show. For details on how to enter go to Lifespringmedia.com slash day nine to see how to do that. That's Lifespringmedia.com slash d a y numeral nine no spaces. You could be the winner. Have you smiled or learned something this month while listening to the Lifespring Why Christmas show? Isn't that worth something? If you're feeling generous gifts for your Christmas podcast hosts are welcome at Lifespringmedia.com slash support. 

Steve Webb  1:23  
Welcome to the light spring Why Christmas show number 23. Which means Christmas is only two days away. I can hardly wait. Time Steve Webb, your host. As children, we anticipate the arrival of Christmas morning with giddy anticipation of what presents might be under the tree? Will it be a new bicycle, a new doll, a baseball glove or a ps3? How many presents will there be? What will Santa bring? As parents the tables are turned? Now our anticipation is focused on what our children's reaction will be when they open their gifts. We so want to hear those five words. It's just what I wanted. And of course, we want to see what Santa brought us to. So how did the custom of giving and receiving presents on Christmas begin and how do other cultures do it? Well, of course God gave the very first Christmas gift when he gave us Jesus. John 316 says God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him may not be lost but have eternal life. I think that the anticipation I have leading up to Christmas morning as the father of three sons is nothing compared to the anticipation God the Father had leading up to that first Christmas morning when Jesus was born into the family of Mary and Joseph and into the human family. He had just what we want it. And of course the wise men brought gifts frankincense, gold and myrrh. Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and as a gift it showed that people would worship Jesus. Gold was associated with kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of kings. Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies to make them smell better and as a gift it showed that Jesus would suffer and die. And then today all over the world, families and friends give presents to each other. Most children around the world believe that St Nicholas Santa Claus or Father Christmas brings them presents but in Germany they believe that it is the Christian or Christ child. In Spain they believe it is the wise men and in Italy they believe it's an old lady called Befana. These presents are also left in different places. He in most of Europe, the presents are left in shoes or boots put out by the children. And in Italy, the UK and the US presidents are left in stockings often left hanging by a fireplace. And of course in many countries presents for friends and family may be left under the Christmas tree in the UK and here in the US they're often opened up on Christmas Day morning with all the family together. presents are opened on different days around the world as well. The earliest presents are opened is on St Nicholas II on December 5 When children in Holland received their presents. And then in Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and some other European countries st Nicholas's days on December 6, and that's when they opened their presents. Children in the UK, the US and many other countries such as Japan open their presents on Christmas Day, December 25. The latest that presents are opened is on January 6, and that's on the day known as epiphany, and it's mainly celebrated in Catholic countries such as Spain and Mexico. Tomorrow James has a very, very special show planned and on Christmas Day, of course, we'll both be back for one last time for this 2009 series of Lifespring White Christmas shows. We'll have some fun and we'll draw the winning name from satis app to see who gets the autographed Bryan Duncan Christmas CD of a Neil soul Christmas. We'll see you then.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai